Practices of Jehovah's Witnesses: Encyclopedia II - Practices of Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial of Christ's Death

Practices of Jehovah's Witnesses - Memorial of Christ's Death

Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or propitiatory sacrifice by observing The Lord's Evening Meal, or Memorial, each year on Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish calendar. They believe that this is the only celebration commanded for Christians in the Bible. In support, they often quote Jesus' words: "'Keep doing this ... in remembrance of me.' For as often as YOU eat this loaf and drink this cup, YOU keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives." (1 Corinthians 11:25, 26, NWT) Of those who attend the Memorial a small minority worldwide will partake of the eating of the unleavened bread and the drinking of the wine. (For statistics of the number of partakers in relationship to non-partakers, see Jehovah's Witnesses (Membership))

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only a small minority, called the "anointed," can partake of the bread and wine. (see Jehovah's Witnesses (Salvation)) The persons who actually partake, are in general considered of the "anointed," though Jehovah's Witnesses believe that some of them may be in error.

The celebration of the Memorial of Christ's Death proceeds as follows: In advance of the Memorial, Jehovah's Witnesses invite anyone that may be interested to attend this special night. The week of the Memorial is generally filled with special activity in the ministry (e.g. door-to-door work). A suitable hall, for example a Kingdom Hall, is prepared for the occasion. The Memorial begins with a song and a prayer. The prayer is followed by a discourse on the importance of the evening. A table is set with wine and unleavened bread. Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bread stands for Jesus Christ's body which he gave on behalf of mankind, and that the wine stands for his blood which redeems from sin. They do not believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation. Hence, the wine and the bread are merely symbols (sometimes referred to as "emblems"), but they have a very deep and profound meaning for Jehovah's Witnesses. A prayer is offered and the bread is circulated among the audience. Only those who are "anointed" partake. Then another prayer is offered, and the wine is circulated in the same manner. After that, the evening concludes with a final song and prayer.

It is common for the bread and wine to be passed and have no partakers.

Practices of Jehovah's Witnesses - External links

• Reliving Jesus' Last Days on Earth - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site
• The Last Days of Jesus' Human Life - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Memorial of Christ's Death", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki